Monday, May 22, 2017

Preschool Story Time, 5/17/17 (Garden Theme)


Opening Song: Story Time is Starting

Book: The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle
This book was long, but the audience was attentive. It probably helped that they seemed to know Eric Carle's style.

Song: One Seed

Book: The Rose in My Garden by Arnold Lobel, illustrated by Anita Lobel
I hesitated to use this book because it's long and the pictures are hard to see but I wanted to try it anyway. To keep the kids engaged, I had the whole room buzz every time I mentioned the bee. I would probably not use it again without turning it into a flannel board or something more easily seen from a distance, but I was pleased with how well it went over, all things considered.

Song: Head and Shoulders

Song: Put Your Hands Up High

Song: Mr. Sun

Book: My Garden by Kevin Henkes
I think this was the favorite of the session. The chocolate bunnies are always a hit!

Song with Ukulele: My May Garden
In addition to the verses shown in the link, I also added one of my own: Bees in the flowers, buzz buzz buzz... I played the ukulele and let the group make up their own motions, and they did better than if they had been following me!

Book: Lola Plants a Garden by Anna McQuinn, illustrated by Rosalind Beardshaw
This was a new-to-me book and I liked the way the story connected to the Mary Mary Quite Contrary nursery rhyme. I think it might have gone over better as the opening book to the session, but I would definitely use it again.

Songs with Shaker Eggs: 


Song: Chickadee

Friday, May 19, 2017

Preschool Story Time, 5/10/17


Opening Song: Story Time is Starting

Book: Splash Splash by Jeff Sheppard, illustrated by Dennis Panek
I bought this book specifically for my story time stash, but this group didn't take to it. I wanted them to echo the animals' sounds, but ended up not even asking them to do so because they seemed so quiet and reserved. I did, however, get the parents (and my own kids) to dutifully make all the animal sounds on the last page.

Rhyme: Blue is the Lake

Book: Blue on Blue by Dianne White, illustrated by Beth Krommes
I think the parents like this one. It was harder to tell about the kids.

Song: I Like to Feel the Raindrops Fall

Song: Put Your Hands Up High

Song: Head and Shoulders

Book: This is the Sunflower by Lola M. Schaefer, illustrated by Donald Crews
I have never had great luck with this book at story time, but it went over better at this session than any other time I have read it.

Song: Mr. Sun

Songs with Shaker Eggs:


Book: Mother Mother I Want Another by Maria Polushkin Robbins, illustrated by Diane Dawson
We own the original version of this, and the illustrations are really too small for story time. The punchline also went right over the head of all the kids - and most of the adults, too. If I were ever to use it again, I'd probably get the newer edition from the library even though I am typically against re-illustrating old books.

Song: Chickadee

Thursday, May 18, 2017

Preschool Story Time, 5/3/17 (Bunnies Theme)


Due to a family emergency, I ended up cancelling story time for the entire month of April, including the Wednesdays before and after Easter. I had planned to do a bunny theme then, but decided that since none of these books explicitly referenced Easter, I'd read them in May instead.  I didn't have the chance to write up this session until 2 weeks later, so I don't have a lot of commentary. I noted what I could remember.

Opening Song: Story Time is Starting

Book: Home for a Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Garth Williams

Rhyme: Homes
I changed this rhyme so that the line about the bunny came first.

Rhyme: Here is a Bunny

Book: Rabbits and Raindrops by Jim Arnosky

Song: Mr. Sun

Book: Moonlight by Helen V. Griffith, illustrated by Laura Dronzek
My three-year-old named this as her favorite of the session. But I got the impression she was the only one who liked it!

Song: Moon Moon Moon

Book: The Bunnies are Not in Their Beds by Marisabina Russo
This was probably too long to read at the end, but there was one child slightly older than all the others (a sibling of a toddler) who came in late, and I think this was the only book grabbed his attention so I was glad he was there to hear it. My own daughter also retold the book to me later at home.

Song: Little Bunny

Song: Chickadee

Friday, May 5, 2017

June Story Time Themes


My favorite story time themes for June are all about welcoming warm weather, being outside, and of course, summer reading.



The Beach


Suggested Books:

  • All You Need for a Beach by Alice Schertle, illustrated by Barbara Lavallee
  • To the Beach by Thomas Docherty
  • Senses at the Seashore by Shelley Rotner 
  • At the Beach by Anne Rockwell 


Extension Activities:




Sunshine


Suggested Books:

  • What the Sun Sees / What the Moon Sees by Nancy Tafuri
  • One Light, One Sun by Raffi
  • The Sun is My Favorite Star by Frank Asch
  • This is the Sunflower by Lola M. Schaefer, illustrated by Donald Crews


Extension Activities:





Playing Outside


Suggested Books:

  • All the World by Liz Garton Scanlon, illustrated by Marla Frazee
  • Into the Outdoors by Susan Gal
  • Play With Me by Marie Hall Ets
  • Everyone Can Learn to Ride a Bicycle by Chris Raschka


Extension Activities:





Zoo


Suggested Books:

  • 1, 2, 3, to the Zoo by Eric Carle
  • Bruno Munari's Zoo by Bruno Munari
  • The Opposite Zoo by Il Sung Na
  • Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell 
  • My Heart is Like a Zoo by Michael Hall

Extension Activities:





(Summer) Reading


Suggested Books:
  • We Are in a Book! by Mo Willems
  • Book! by Kristine O'Connell George, illustrated by Maggie Smith 
  • The Wonderful Book by Leonid Gore
  • I Like Books by Anthony Browne 
  • Lola Loves Stories by Anna McQuinn, illustrated by Rosalind Beardshaw

Extension Activities: 
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